The stories that connect us to our unique pasts

Saakaar is an ambitious project to re-enliven our stories, recreate our connection to where we belong, liberate our being --- by connecting with the divinity in all of us as a manifest entity.

Using dance as one of the most powerful human medium of expression, and connection.

India

India has survived millennia, preserving her ancientness intact, probably the only of the ancient civilizations. The rich tapestry of India is studded with stories of the Gods and Goddesses, the rivers, the mountains, the deities --- who were all combined within the Hindu pantheon preserving their uniqueness, while revealing their interconnectedness by a common divinity.

The Americas

When the Europeans landed on this native land, they did not find a single group, but many peoples with their own deep connections to the rivers, the mountains, their landscape, which were worshiped as sacred.

Saakaar aims to re-enliven that connection to the underlying current in our continent. That unites us in our distinct manifestations and connect through our own paths.

Africa

The most diverse of all the continents in its ethnicities, Africa has unfortunately lost much of its connection to its sacred land by waves of colonization. However, unless that connection is restored, her people will be culturally orphaned. Saakaar is collecting stories, sacred dances, venerated landscapes, and worshipped deities and reenacting them through bharatanatyam.

Asia

Asia being the most populated part, also has the richest collection of stories that ground their numerous peoples. It has always been a melting pot that did not erase its histories in spite of cultural upheavals. The stories of Ramayana, Chinese deities, Shinto kami, and Buddhist tales are still preserved, and melted together to create a very layered history.

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Kshitiz's Dance Journey

After college, Kshitiz took many months off traveling through the south of India, studded with old temples where the ancient carnatic classical music flowed. It is here, that Kshitiz, who was born in Rajasthan, felt a strange connection to the sacred divinity that flowed through the ever changing landscape. However, he lacked the medium and training to experience that connection fully.

Unsatisfied in his journey, he found dance as a refuge to connect. He started learning Bharatanatyam, at an age when most people retire from dance from Guru Janaki Sivaraman, a highly respected exponent and teacher of Bharanatyam. Having learned for nearly 7 years with intense dedication with Guru Janaki and her daughter Anita, Kshitiz moved to Seattle, where he learned briefly from various teachers, before he connected with Guru Jaynti Seshan in Connecticut, an exponent in Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam.

Besides traditional choreography, Kshitiz experiments with stories beyond the Indian subcontinent, exploring their sacred connections, and threading them with dance or theater.

Kshitiz's performances are a beautiful blend of artistry and spirituality, truly bringing ancient stories to life with grace and passion.

Ananya

★★★★★